Industry Watch

By
APICS staff | September/October 2013 | 23 | 5

Automated storage and retrievalKardex Remstar has added the Megamat RS 180 to its portfolio, the latest generation of its vertical carousel. Satisfying market demands for tailored solutions, the RS 180 is equipped for storing and retrieving small items. Weight capacity is up to 397.8 pounds per carrier, with a total unit load of 13,260 pounds. The vertical carousel can increase order picking efficiency on the factory floor, on the production line, or in distribution centers in order to optimize processes and minimize costs.

EnterpriseSoftware AG has reached an agreement with Progress Software to acquire Apama, which produces a platform for complex event processing and related solutions. Apama utilities enable organizations to correlate and analyze business activities across multiple data streams in real time and take immediate action in response. The high-performance platform, along with Software AG’s low-latency messaging and in-memory technology, will offer customers valuable real-time business data.

Steelwedge has made available its latest release of the Steelwedge solution to help global manufacturers more quickly and accurately make supply-demand tradeoff decisions in the face of market change. The integrated business platform combines online analytics and planning to quickly deliver rich, contextual intelligence.

Zontec announces its Synergy SPC software validation service. The package includes a user-acceptance testing protocol template and a UAT report template to meet the regulatory requirements for electronic record keeping and electronic signatures. Key components are the requirements, specifications of the system configuration and security, and test cases that demonstrate correct system operation.

PackagingCombi Packaging Systems has unveiled semi-automatic and automatic top and bottom case sealers, developed with sanitary design in mind. The packaging equipment features stainless steel materials and is constructed to meet the demands of sanitary design, including accessibility and easy-to-clean components. Additional features include hygienic maintenance enclosures and water-shedding surfaces.

Shop floorAvery Weigh-Tronix introduces the Stainless Steel ProDec floor scale. Available in various sizes and capacities, the scale is ideal for environments that require strict sanitation. The platform scale was designed for the food and chemical industry. Using hermetically sealed, stainless steel Avery Weigh-Tronix Weigh Bars, the scale has a high-end load rating, making it ideal for the most demanding weighing applications and providing high accuracy and repeatability under continuous heavy industrial usage.

Enerpac introduces the EVO system, the next generation of its synchronous lifting technology. The lifting system combines high-pressure hydraulics with a programmable logic controller system to monitor and control precise movement and positioning of heavy loads. Through an integrated human machine interface, all movements are managed from a central control position that displays live operation with real-time status updates for each lifting position.

SOR has launched SOR 805QS, a compact, rugged pressure switch transmitter with independent discrete and continuous outputs. The product is a cost-effective, compact, loop-powered pressure switch transmitter designed for the oil and gas industry, where hazardous locations and hostile environments require a process instrument that is explosion-proof, hermetically sealed, and enclosed in stainless-steel housing.

NVision has released a handheld laser scanner that ensures the dimensional integrity of complicated castings. The scanner can be used to evaluate many light-emitting diode, solid-state lighting components and is capable of capturing three-dimensional geometry. The scanner is attached to a mechanical arm that moves about the object, freeing the user to capture data rapidly and with a high degree of resolution.

Herkules introduces the Enkon LSBD04, an off-the-shelf electric belt drive scissor lift table, which provides a high-duty cycle, static positioning, and repeatability. This patented and extremely versatile scissor lift uses the latest technology for advancing the efficiencies in manufacturing and automation applications. Designed with a high safety factor, the LSBD04 is powered with a mechatronics drive system using a single-belt, multiple-pulley design.

Specialized Turning introduces Specialized Custom Machined Fittings—fittings, adapters, and flanges with intricate features and close tolerances for use with precision instruments, manifolds, and valves. The fittings feature precise openings, burr control, fillet radius, and corner break details. They also include honing and lapping to assure proper sealing. Applications include gas, liquid, and vapor handling in a wide range of hydraulic, pneumatic, and vacuum systems.

Transportation and logistics3Gtms and Tompkins International are partnering to deliver transportation management system (TMS) solutions that meet the expanding needs of mid-market companies. The partnership will combine 3Gtms’s transportation management software solution with the supply chain consulting and implementation expertise that Tompkins International has cultivated by working with global clients. This partnership provides clients with user-friendly TMS products that are tightly integrated into supply chains and enterprise resources planning.

Transplace has released Freight Allocation Module 2.0, a web-based application that optimizes transportation by enabling shippers to auction freight with approved carrier partners. With its enhanced functionality, this application offers authorized carrier companies improved visual presentation of available freight along with spot-rate quotations in real time.

WarehousingFORTE has released its next generation of warehouse control system software, the Smart Warehouse Suite. This solution is intended to maximize automation functionality while delivering real-time operational intelligence. Designed for the complex requirements of highly automated, multichannel fulfillment operations, the suite provides supply chain and operations managers with performance metrics and analytics delivered in a straightforward graphical user interface with remote monitoring capabilities.